Method and apparatus for encapsulation of motion picture experts group media transport assets in international organization for standardization base media files

ABSTRACT

An apparatus includes receive path circuitry configured to receive a Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Media Transport (MMT) container and a processing device configured to identify locations of one or more media fragment units (MFUs) in the MMT container using a hint track within the MMT container. Another apparatus includes transmit path circuitry configured to transmit an MMT container and a processing device configured to identify locations of one or more MFUs in the MMT container using a hint track within the MMT container.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/731,360 filed Nov. 29, 2012and entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENCAPSULATION OF MMT ASSETS INISO-BASE MEDIA FILES.” This provisional patent application is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to transferring media content. Morespecifically, this disclosure relates to a method and apparatus forencapsulation of Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Media Transport(MMT) assets in International Organization for Standardization (ISO)Base Media Files.

BACKGROUND

Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Media Transport (MMT) specifiestechnologies for the delivery of coded media data for multimediaservices over heterogeneous Internet Protocol (IP) network environments.The delivered coded media data includes both (i) audio-visual media dataof which the data units have an inherent timeline (namely timed data)and (ii) other types of data that do not have an inherent timeline amongtheir data units (namely non-timed data). MMT is designed under theassumption that the coded media data is delivered through a packet-baseddelivery network using Internet Protocols, such as the RealtimeTransport Protocol (RTP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and UserDatagram Protocol (UDP).

SUMMARY

This disclosure provides a method and apparatus for encapsulation ofMotion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Media Transport (MMT) assets inInternational Organization for Standardization (ISO) Base Media Files.

In a first embodiment, an apparatus includes receive path circuitryconfigured to receive an MMT container. The apparatus also includes aprocessing device configured to identify locations of one or more mediafragment units (MFUs) in the MMT container using a hint track within theMMT container.

In a second embodiment, an apparatus includes transmit path circuitryconfigured to transmit an MMT container. The apparatus also includes aprocessing device configured to identify locations of one or more mediafragment units (MFUs) in the MMT container using a hint track within theMMT container.

In a third embodiment, a method includes receiving an MMT container. Themethod also includes identifying locations of one or more media fragmentunits (MFUs) in the MMT container using a hint track within the MMTcontainer.

In a fourth embodiment, a method includes receiving MFUs of an MMTcontainer, identifying missing MFUs, marking them appropriately oradjusting the metadata for correct processing.

Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in theart from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.

Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may beadvantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases usedthroughout this patent document. The terms “include” and “comprise,” aswell as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term“or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrase “associated with,” as wellas derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within,interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with,couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave,juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a propertyof, have a relationship to or with, or the like. The term “controller”means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least oneoperation, and such a device may be implemented in hardware or in acombination of hardware and software/firmware. It should be noted thatthe functionality associated with any particular controller may becentralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. The phrase “atleast one of,” when used with a list of items, means that differentcombinations of one or more of the listed items may be used, and onlyone item in the list may be needed. For example, “at least one of A, B,and C” includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, Aand C, B and C, and A and B and C. Definitions for certain words andphrases are provided throughout this patent document, and those ofordinary skill in the art should understand that in many if not mostinstances, such definitions apply to prior as well as future uses ofsuch defined words and phrases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its advantages,reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numeralsrepresent like parts:

FIG. 1 illustrates example scalable video delivery over a heterogeneousnetwork to diverse clients according to this disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example MMT device according to this disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates example functionalities provided by Motion PictureExperts Group (MPEG) Media Transport (MMT) according to this disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example MMT encapsulation according to thisdisclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example MMT encapsulation with a sample level hinttrack and a sample level media track of timed media according to thisdisclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example MMT encapsulation of media that does notinclude timed media according to this disclosure; and

FIG. 7 illustrates an example method for receiving Media Fragment Units(MFUs) according to this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 through 7, discussed below, and the various embodiments used todescribe the principles of this disclosure in this patent document areby way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way tolimit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art understandthat the principles of this disclosure may be implemented in anysuitable device or system.

FIG. 1 illustrates example scalable video delivery over a heterogeneousnetwork to diverse clients according to this disclosure. The embodimentshown in FIG. 1 is for illustration only. Other embodiments could beused without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

A heterogeneous network 102 includes a Motion Picture Experts Group(MPEG) Media Transport (MMT) server 104 that serves media content (suchas image, audio, and video content) to MMT clients 106-114. The MMTserver 104 and the MMT clients 106-114 represent MMT devices and couldbe implemented as shown in FIG. 2 or in any other suitable manner. TheMMT server 104 can send full-resolution video streams 116 via theheterogeneous network 102 to the MMT clients 106-114. The MMT clients106-114 receive some or all of the video stream 116 at one or more bitrates 118-126 and one or more resolutions 130-138 based (among otherthings) on a type of connection to the heterogeneous network 102 and atype of the MMT client. The types and bit rates of connections to theheterogeneous network 102 can include high-speed backbone networkconnection 128, 1000 megabit per second (Mbps) connection 118, 312kilobit per second (kbps) connection 120, 1 Mbps connection 122, 4 Mbpsconnection 124, 2 Mbps connection 126, and so forth. The resolutions130-138 can include 1080 progressive (1080p) at 60 Hertz (1080p@60 Hz)130, quarter common intermediate format (QCIF) at 10 Hz 132, standarddefinition (SD) at 24 Hz 134, 720 progressive (720p) at 60 Hz 136, 720pat 30 Hz 138, and so on. The types of clients 106-114 can include adesktop computer 106, mobile phone 108, personal digital assistant (PDA)110, laptop 112, and tablet 114.

The media content, also referred to as an MMT asset, is sent via MMTcontainers from the MMT server 104 to the MMT clients 106-114 via one ormore MFUs. The MMT asset can be consumed by the MMT clients 106-114,even when not all of the MFUs are received by the MMT clients 106-114.The MMT container identifies the MFUs that have been received and havenot been received so the MMT clients 106-114 can render the MFUs thathave been received and not render the MFUs that have not been received.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example MMT device 202 according to thisdisclosure. The embodiment of the MMT device 202 shown in FIG. 2 is forillustration only. Other embodiments of an MMT device could be usedwithout departing from the scope of this disclosure.

The MMT device 202 includes an antenna 205, a radio frequency (RF)transceiver 210, transmit (TX) processing circuitry 215, a microphone220, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 225. The MMT device 202 alsoincludes a speaker 230, a processing unit 240, an input/output (I/O)interface (IF) 245, a keypad 250, a display 255, and a memory 260. TheMMT device 202 could include any number of each of these components.

The processing unit 240 includes processing circuitry configured toexecute instructions, such as instructions stored in the memory 260 orinternally within the processing unit 240. The memory 260 includes abasic operating system (OS) program 261 and one or more applications262. The MMT device 202 could represent any suitable device that usesMMT, such as an MMT client 106-114 or an MMT server 104. In particularembodiments, the MMT device 202 represents a mobile telephone,smartphone, personal digital assistant, or tablet computer. The MMTdevice 202 sends, receives, or displays media content via MMT.

The RF transceiver 210 receives, from the antenna 205, an incoming RFsignal transmitted by a base station or other device in a wirelessnetwork. The RF transceiver 210 down-converts the incoming RF signal toproduce an intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signal. The IF orbaseband signal is sent to the RX processing circuitry 225, whichproduces a processed baseband signal (such as by filtering, decoding,and/or digitizing the baseband or IF signal). The RX processingcircuitry 225 can provide the processed baseband signal to the speaker230 (for voice data) or to the processing unit 240 for furtherprocessing (such as for web browsing or other data).

The TX processing circuitry 215 receives analog or digital voice datafrom the microphone 220 or other outgoing baseband data (such as webdata, e-mail, or interactive video game data) from the processing unit240. The TX processing circuitry 215 encodes, multiplexes, and/ordigitizes the outgoing baseband data to produce a processed baseband orIF signal. The RF transceiver 210 receives the outgoing processedbaseband or IF signal from the TX processing circuitry 215 andup-converts the baseband or IF signal to an RF signal that istransmitted via the antenna 205.

In some embodiments, the processing unit 240 includes a centralprocessing unit (CPU) 242 and a graphics processing unit (GPU) 244embodied in one or more discrete devices. In some embodiments, the CPU242 and the GPU 244 are implemented as one or more integrated circuitsdisposed on one or more printed circuit boards. The memory 260 iscoupled to the processing unit 240. In some embodiments, part of thememory 260 represents a random access memory (RAM), and another part ofthe memory 260 represents a Flash memory acting as a read-only memory(ROM).

In some embodiments, the memory 260 is a computer readable medium thatstores program instructions to transfer media content via MMT. When theprogram instructions are executed by the processing unit 240, theprogram instructions cause one or more of the processing unit 240, CPU242, and GPU 244 to execute various functions and programs in accordancewith embodiments of this disclosure.

The processing unit 240 executes the basic OS program 261 stored in thememory 260 in order to control the overall operation of the MMT device202. For example, the processing unit 240 can control the RF transceiver210, RX processing circuitry 225, and TX processing circuitry 215 inaccordance with well-known principles to control the reception offorward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals.

The processing unit 240 is also capable of executing other processes andprograms resident in the memory 260, such as operations for identifyingMFU locations via a hint track as described in more detail below. Theprocessing unit 240 can also move data into or out of the memory 260 asrequired by an executing process. In some embodiments, the processingunit 240 is configured to execute a plurality of applications 262. Theprocessing unit 240 can operate the applications 262 based on the OSprogram 261 or in response to a signal received from a base station. Theprocessing unit 240 is coupled to the I/O interface 245, which providesthe MMT device 202 with the ability to connect to other devices, such aslaptop computers, handheld computers, and server computers. The I/Ointerface 245 is the communication path between these accessories andthe processing unit 240.

The processing unit 240 is also optionally coupled to the keypad 250 andthe display unit 255. An operator of the MMT device 202 uses the keypad250 to enter data into the MMT device 202. The display 255 may be aliquid crystal display, light emitting diode (LED) display, or otherdisplay capable of rendering text and/or at least limited graphics fromweb sites. Alternate embodiments may use other types of input/outputdevices and displays.

For efficient and effective delivery of coded media data overheterogeneous Internet Protocol (IP) network environments, MMT providesthe following elements:

a logical model to construct content composed of various components formash-up applications;

a structure of data conveying information about the coded media data fordelivery-layer processing such as packetization and adaptation;

a packetization method and a structure of a packet to deliver mediacontent agnostic to the specific type of media or coding method usedover TCP or UDP including hybrid delivery;

a format of signaling messages to manage presentation and delivery ofmedia content;

a format of signaling messages to manage presentation and delivery ofmedia content; and

a format of information to be exchanged across layers to facilitatecross-layer communication.

FIG. 3 illustrates example functionalities provided by MMT according tothis disclosure. The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is for illustrationonly. Other embodiments could be used without departing from the scopeof this disclosure.

Functionalities provided by MMT are categorized into three functionalareas, namely an encapsulation layer 302, a delivery layer 304, and asignaling layer 306. The encapsulation layer 302 defines the logicalstructure of media content, an MMT package, and a format of the dataunits to be processed by an MMT-compliant entity. An MMT packageincludes one or more components having media content and descriptions ofrelationships among the components to provide information to theunderlying delivery layer 304 for adaptive operation. The format of thedata units is defined to encapsulate the coded media data of the mediacontent to be stored or carried as a payload of a delivery protocol andto be easily converted between different delivery protocols.

The delivery layer 304 defines an application layer protocol and aformat of the payload. The application layer protocol provides enhancedfeatures, such as multiplexing, for delivery of coded media datacompared to conventional application layer protocols for the delivery ofmedia content (also referred to as “multimedia”). The payload format isdefined to carry coded media data independent of the specific media typeor encoding method.

The signaling layer 306 defines the format of messages to managedelivery and consumption of MMT packages. Messages for consumptionmanagement are used to signal the structure of an MMT package. Messagesfor delivery management are used to signal the structure of a payloadformat and a configuration of the protocol.

The encapsulation layer 302 defines a logical structure andinstantiation of an MMT package within an International Organization forStandardization (ISO) Base Media File Format (ISOBMFF) for distributedstorage and adaptive delivery by a network entity. Here, an MMT packagedefines a logical entity aggregating coded media data of the mediacontent (namely MMT assets) and the information for delivery layerprocessing. An MMT asset defines the logical structure carrying thecoded media data. MMT assets can collectively reference a number ofMedia Processing Units (MPUs) with the same MMT asset identification(ID).

Any type of data that can be individually consumed by an entity directlyconnected to an MMT client is a separate MMT asset. This includes notonly coded media data decodable by a single media codec but also othertypes of data that have already been multiplexed. MPUs provideinformation about the media data for adaptive packetization according tothe constraints of the underlying delivery layer's packet size, such asthe boundaries and sizes of small fragments of the data carried in theMPU. Such small fragments are known as Media Fragment Units (MFUs). Thisenables the underlying delivery layer entity to dynamically packetizethe MPUs adaptively based on the size of the maximum transmission unitof the delivery layer 304. MFUs carry small fragments of coded mediadata for which such fragments can be independently decoded or discarded,such as a Network Abstraction Layer (NAL) Unit of an Advanced VideoCoding (AVC) bitstream.

An MMT encapsulation format instantiated with ISOBMFF includes severalfeatures to correctly capture the logical structure of an MMT packageand to achieve the MMT goals and benefits, which include:

backwards-compatibility in that MMT encapsulation reuses the ISOBMFF asmuch as possible and an ISOBMFF parses and accesses/extracts media datafrom a file storing an MMT package;

error robustness to correctly recover an initial structure even in thecase of missing MFUs;

external addressing to efficiently locate and address MPUs independentlyby upper layers and the delivery entity without a specific location ofthe MPUs;

support for a unified structure for timed data and non-timed datastorage and delivery;

ease of access to MPUs and MFUs to easily extract MPU metadata and MFUsfor adaptive packetized delivery and to enable easy conversion betweenstorage formats and delivery formats, ideally with the storage formatequal to the delivery format;

support for encapsulation of legacy data formats, such as MPEG-2transport stream (TS); and

low redundancy.

Previous MMT designs have several known issues, including:

the presence of an MFU “box” for each MFU in the stream, which resultsin a large amount of MFU boxes and very high overhead (such as an MFUbox size of 100 bytes and a NAL size of 1000 bytes, resulting in a 10%overhead);

the MFU box references the media data therein, limiting flexibility onhow to packetize the media content via the delivery layer;

the storage format is different from the delivery format, and thedelivery format is not clearly defined; and

non-timed media data is stored in a manner that is notbackwards-compatible.

In addition, IOSBMFF does not provide various features of MMT,including:

independently addressing or consuming movie fragments;

correctly parsing and consuming a movie fragment if there are missingparts or packets during packetized delivery; and

general usage of hint tracks to support packetization that is adaptiveto a size of a maximum transmission unit (MTU) of an underlying deliverynetwork.

Embodiments of this disclosure encapsulate MMT content within an ISOBMFFby defining a hint track for an MFU structure. Each MFU is described ina hint sample of the hint track of the MMT. The hint sample of the MMThint track corresponds to an MFU header that is used to deliver an MFU.The MMT hint sample carries information about the location of thecorresponding media data. An MMT device uses this information, togetherwith an MFU sequence number, an MPU sequence number, and the assetidentifier, to recover the initial MMT asset structure while correctlyidentifying the MFUs missing from delivery.

In some embodiments, MMT hint samples are equivalent to MMTFragmentation Unit headers as illustrated and discussed in relation toFIG. 4. Some embodiments can also have the MMT hint track samples andthe MMT media track samples interleaved on a per sample basis, such aswhen each MFU is one sample and each chunk includes one sample in both ahint track and a media track, as illustrated and discussed in relationto FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example MMT encapsulation according to thisdisclosure. The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is for illustration only.Other embodiments could be used without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure.

As shown in FIG. 4, an MMT asset (mast) 402 and an MPU box (mmpu) 404are delimited by separate boxes. These boxes facilitate externaladdressability. The storage format shown here is different from thedelivery format, and an MMT server uses an MMT hint track 406 to convertthe storage format to the delivery format during a packetizationoperation. The MMT server stores timed media as a track of the ISOBMFF,which contains a single media track 408. The MMT server stores non-timedmedia as part of the metadata in an ISOBMFF.

The media track 408 of the ISOBMFF is indexed via a “moov” box 410 in afully backwards-compatible manner. The MPU box 404 ends at the end of afile or before the start of a subsequent MPU to implicitly indicate theboundaries of an MPU and to allow for more flexibility in editing,recording, and incremental generation of live content. In someembodiments, the media track 408 of the ISOBMFF is indexed by a “moof”box (such as a moof box 502 in FIG. 5).

The MMT hint track 406 guides the delivery layer entity, such as an MMTserver 104 or MMT clients 106-114, in converting a stored MMT asset 402into a packetized media stream. The packetized media stream is deliveredby an MMT server to an MMT client using the MMT protocol (MMTP) as thedelivery protocol.

The MMT hint track 408 provides to the entity generating the deliverypackets, such as an MMT server 104, location information of the MFUs ofan MPU for adaptive packetization and delivery decisions. Thepacketization and delivery decisions include statistical multiplexingand dropping of some MFUs to cope with instantaneous network congestion.Media data of an MMT asset within an MMT container are extracted,together with MMT hint samples, to generate MMT packets. One or moreMFUs may then be used to build a single MMTP packet. Consequently, thestorage formats are not exactly same as the delivery format, whichrequires an active network entity that is able to extract andencapsulate media data on the fly to build MMTP packets. The media datamay be stored in such a way that an ISOBMFF-compliant entity can parsethe media data.

The MMT hint track 406 provides information about the MFUs to thenetwork entities for generation of MMT packets. If further fragmentationof an MPU for delivery is not required, the hint track 406 may beomitted completely.

In some embodiments, MMT hint tracks (such as hint track 406) are hinttracks with an entry format in the sample description of “mmth” and canbe defined, for example, as:

aligned(8) class MMTHintSampleEntry( ) extends SampleEntry(‘mmtp’) { unsigned int(16) hinttrackversion = 1;  unsigned int(16)highestcompatibleversion = 1;  unsigned int(1) has_mfus_flag;  unsignedint(1) is_timed;  unsigned int(6) reserved;  MMTAsset asset; }The sample description format shown above is for illustration only.Other embodiments could be used without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure. The semantics of the above sample description formatinclude:

has_mfus_flag indicates whether the MPUs provide information about MFUs,whether the hint track provides complete MPUs so that each MFUidentified by the hint track can have a single sample when the MPUs donot provide information about MFUs, and whether each hint sample refersto an MFU when the MPUs provide information about MFUs; and

is_timed: indicates whether the media hinted by this track is timed oris not timed.

Each media sample is assigned to one or more MFUs. Each sample of theMMT hint track can generate one or more MFUs that can use the followingsyntax:

aligned(8) class MMTHSample {  unsigned int(32) sequence_number;  if(is_timed) {   signed int(8) trackrefindex;   unsigned int(32)samplenumber;   unsigned int(16) offset;   unsigned int(32) length;  }else {   unsigned int(16) item_ID;  }  unsigned int(1) mfu_lost_flag; Unsigned int(7) reserved; }The sample format shown above is for illustration only. Otherembodiments could be used without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure. The syntax of the above sample format includes:

sequence_number is a sequence number assigned to this MFU;

trackrefindex is an identification of the media track from which the MFUdata is extracted;

samplenumber is a sequence number assigned to the sample from which thisMFU is extracted;

item_ID refers to the item that builds this MFU for non-timed mediadata;

offset gives the offset of the media data, and the offset base is thebeginning of an “mdat” box containing the sample;

length gives the length of the MFU in bytes; and

mfu_lost_flag indicates whether the MFU has been lost, such as whetherthe corresponding media data is missing or not.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example MMT encapsulation with a sample level hinttrack and a sample level media track of timed media according to thisdisclosure. The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is for illustration only.Other embodiments could be used without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure.

In sample-based interleaving for sample delivery, the delivery formatcorresponds to the MMT payload format and includes the MFU header andthe MFU media data. The MFU header is a copy of the hint sample, whichfacilitates the creation of the MMTP payload and packets.

In FIG. 5, a hint track 504 and a media track 506 are interleaved at asample level inside of a “moof” box 502 of an MMT container 508. Thisresults in one sample per chunk and a straightforward packetizationprocess. The MMT container 508 also includes a “mast” box 510, a “moov”box 512, an “mmpu” box 514, “moof” boxes 502 and 518, and “mdat” boxes516 and 520. The moof boxes 502 and 518 include MMT hint tracks 504 and522 and media tracks 506 and 524. The mdat boxes 516 and 520 include oneor more MFUs 522. The MFUs 522 include MFU headers 524 and payloads 526.Each MFU header 524 includes an MFU sequence number and optionallyincludes an mfu_lost_flag.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example MMT encapsulation of media that does notinclude timed media according to this disclosure. The embodiment shownin FIG. 6 is for illustration only. Other embodiments could be usedwithout departing from the scope of this disclosure.

In FIG. 6, a hint track 602 is inside of a “moov” box 604 of an MMTcontainer 606. The MMT container 606 includes a “mast” box 610, the“moov” box 604, an “mmpu” box 614, a “meta” box 632, and an “mdat” box620. The moov box 604 includes the MMT hint track 602. The meta box 632includes an “hdlr” box 602, an “iloc” box 630, and an “iinf” box 628.The mdat box 620 includes one or more MFU 622, each of which includes anMFU header 624 and a payload 626.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example method for receiving MFUs according tothis disclosure. The process depicted in FIG. 7 can be implemented inany suitable manner, such as by the processing circuitry in an MMTserver 104, MMT client 106-114, or other device.

In block 702, an MMT device, such as an MMT server 104 or client106-114, receives an MFU of an MMT container. The MFU is one of one ormore MFUs used to transfer media content contained in the MMT container.In block 704, the MMT device splits the MFU into an MFU header and anMFU media data. In block 706, the MMT device uses MPU metadata and anMFU sequence number from the MFU header to locate an MFU hint sample inthe MMT container. In some embodiments, the MMT device parses the MFUheader, which corresponds to the MFU hint sample.

In block 708, the MMT device determines if the media content of the MMTcontainer includes timed media. If the media content includes timedmedia, the process continues to block 710. If the media content does notinclude timed media, the process continues to block 712. In block 710,the MMT device uses MPU metadata and MFU sample information to locateMFU media data from the received MFU in the MMT container. The processthen continues to block 714. In block 712, the MMT device uses MPUmetadata and an item identifier to locate media data in the MMTcontainer. The process then continues to block 714.

In block 714, the MMT device marks missing MFUs in MPU metadata in theMMT container. In some embodiments, missing MFUs are marked via the useof an mfu_lost_flag value for each MFU within an “mdat” box of the MMTcontainer.

If the MMT asset includes timed media, the MMT device places the MMThint sample in a correct position within the MMT container duringprocessing. The placement is based on the MFU sequence number, whichtranslates into the sample number in the hint sample. The MMT devicealso uses the sample and the offset information in the MFU header,together with the sample tables of the media track (such as “stco,”“stsz,” and “stsc” tables or a “trun” table) to locate the position ofthe media data in the MMT container. If there are any missing MFUsduring the delivery, the corresponding area in the MMT container remainsempty. In doing so, the MMT device can safely locate the data for MFUsthat are correctly received and skip MFUs that are missing from thedelivery.

Although various features have been shown in the figures and describedabove, various changes may be made to the figures. For example, thesize, shape, arrangement, and layout of components shown in the figuresare for illustration only. Each component could have any suitable size,shape, and dimensions, and multiple components could have any suitablearrangement and layout. Also, various components in the figures could becombined, further subdivided, or omitted and additional components couldbe added according to particular needs. Further, each component in adevice or system could be implemented using any suitable structure(s)for performing the described function(s). In addition, while FIG. 7illustrates various series of steps, various steps in FIG. 7 couldoverlap, occur in parallel, occur multiple times, or occur in adifferent order.

While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generallyassociated methods, alterations and permutations of these embodimentsand methods are apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, theabove description of example embodiments does not define or constrainthis disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterations are alsopossible without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure,as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus in an MPEG media transport (MMT)sending entity for transmitting media content in a multimedia system,the apparatus comprising: a transmitter configured to transmit data in anetwork; and a processor configured to control: to identify at least onemedia fragment unit (MFU) fragmented from a media processing unit (MPU),wherein the MPU comprises a MMT hint track providing information relatedto the fragmentation of the MPU into the at least one MFU and the MMThint track comprises at least one hint sample for the at least one MFU,wherein a first MFU of the at least one MFU comprises a MFU header andmedia data, the MFU header being a copy of a first hint sample for thefirst MFU included in the MMT hint track and the first hint sampleincluding information related to the media data of the first MFU, toconfigure a payload, the payload including the media data of the firstMFU, and an indicator indicating whether the media data is either timedmedia data or non-timed media data, and to transmit a packet includingthe configured payload to a receiving entity, wherein, in case that theindicator is set to a first value indicating that the media data is thetimed media data, the payload further includes sample number informationindicating a sample number of a sample to which the timed media databelongs and offset information for identifying a position of the timedmedia data in the sample, and in case that the indicator is set to asecond value indicating that the media data is the non-timed media data,the payload further includes item identification information indicatingan identifier of an item of the non-timed media data, wherein the firsthint sample comprises sequence number information of the first MFU,wherein the first hint sample further comprises the sample numberinformation and the offset information, in case that the media data isthe timed media data, and wherein the first hint sample furthercomprises the item identification information, in case that the mediadata is the non-timed media data.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe payload further includes information indicating a lengthcorresponding to the respective MFU in a unit of a byte.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the MPU is a unit in which a video oraudio signal is processed, and a unit in which a video signal or audiosignal is independently decoded from another MPU.
 4. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the offset information indicates a start position ofthe media data in the sample.
 5. A method for transmitting media contentby an MPEG media transport (MMT) sending entity in a multimedia system,the method comprising: identifying at least one media fragment unit(MFU) fragmented from a media processing unit (MPU), wherein the MPUcomprises a MMT hint track providing information related to thefragmentation of the MPU into the at least one MFU and the MMT hinttrack comprises at least one hint sample for the at least one MFU,wherein a first MFU of the at least one MFU comprises a MFU header andmedia data, the MFU header being a copy of a first hint sample for thefirst MFU included in the MMT hint track and the first hint sampleincluding information related to the media data of the first MFU;configuring a payload, the payload including the media data of the firstMFU and an indicator indicating whether the media data is either timedmedia data or non-timed media data; and transmitting a packet includingthe configured payload to a receiving entity, wherein, in case that theindicator is set to a first value indicating that the media data is thetimed media data, the payload further includes sample number informationindicating a sample number of a sample to which the timed media databelongs and offset information for identifying a position of the timedmedia data in the sample, and in case that the indicator is set to asecond value indicating that the media data is the non-timed media data,the payload further includes item identification information indicatingan identifier of an item of the non-timed media data, wherein the firsthint sample comprises sequence number information of the first MFU,wherein the first hint sample further comprises the sample numberinformation and the offset information, in case that the media data isthe timed media data, and wherein the first hint sample furthercomprises the item identification information, in case that the mediadata is the non-timed media data.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein thepayload further includes information indicating a length correspondingto the MFU in a unit of a byte.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein theMPU is a unit in which a video or audio signal is processed, and a unitin which a video signal or audio signal is independently decoded fromanother MPU.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the offset informationindicates a start position of the media data in the sample.